Putting Out The Fire: Struber’s First MLS Win
Thoughts Going In
After starting the 2021 MLS season with back-to-back losses, it would seem easy to be discouraged with his Red Bull team. Luckily, with a new coach, new system and a wave of new players, most fans have given Red Bull New York the benefit of the doubt, including myself. With the struggling Chicago Fire coming to town, there was a sense that RBNY could get their first points of the year. I feel RBNY had very good moments in the first two games, even though they both led to losses. As RBNY have been slowly working towards their goal, I was very interested to see how things look against another struggling team, as well as what formation head Coach Gerhard Struber would come out with. I was hoping to see a 4-4-2, with a back four and a diamond midfield - I personally hope I never have to see a 5-3-2 again, especially since that formation killed us against the LA Galaxy. I was also hoping to see more playing time for Frankie Amaya. It was clear that even in his short time on the field against the LA Galaxy, Amaya can create offensively. I was praying to see Amaya out there and hoping for the best as I made my way to Red Bull Arena on a windy Saturday afternoon.
Starting XI Confirmed
Once the starting XI was posted, I was absolutely thrilled to see Struber’s choices ahead of their contest with the Chicago Fire. It appears that Carlos Coronel has locked in the starting role at goalkeeper, and you won’t get any complaints from me. Struber returned to a 4-4-2, which featured a back line of Andrew Gutman, Aaron Long, Sean Nealis, and Kyle Duncan - in my opinion, this is the best back line we have at the moment. Just as I was hoping, Frankie Amaya got the start in an aggressive diamond formation, as RBNY looked to lock up the middle of the pitch. Joining Amaya were mainstay and Captain Sean Davis, Cristian Casseres Jr, and wunderkind Caden Clark. One big change to the starting lineup was Tom Barlow, who replaced Brain White and joined Fabio up top. Overall, I was confident with the starting lineup choice by Struber. In my current opinion, this is the strongest lineup we have and I was hoping to witness RBNY put it all together.
Game Time
As the game got underway, a lot of confidence was in the air at Red Bull Arena. RBNY were in their new white/grey kits and continued to stick to their aggressive, pressing game plan against Chicago, as they took a very high line up the pitch. Overall, both teams looked very edgy for the first thirty minutes or so. It didn’t look like anyone was willing to take risks early on - as both sides played cautiously, the ball never really left the midfield. Since neither keeper was really tested in the first half, the score was 0-0 going into the break. With that said, there were some bright moments at the end of the half for Red Bull; I hoped the coaching staff would be able to build on the positives and that we would see a result over Chicago in the end.
Going into the second half of this contest, RBNY came out flying - Struber’s message during half time must have really affected the players. In the blink of an eye, the chaos of the high press caused problems for Chicago. The consistent pressure from RBNY led to a beautiful ball from Fabio, which setup an absolute banger of a goal by Cristian Casseres Jr. Casseres’ lethal hit left Chicago Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth guessing - this gave Red Bull a huge boost and some much-needed momentum at the beginning of the second half. As the crowd got louder and more time ticked off the clock, it was clear that the home side were in complete control of the match. For about twenty minutes straight, it was all RBNY – as Red Bull stayed on the ball, the Chicago back line were pushed further and further towards their own goal. Since Chicago couldn’t even make it past midfield, RBNY took advantage with another thrilling buildup of play, which helped Fabio create his second assist of the match. This time, Fabio’s perfectly placed header setup another crazy finish for the 17-year-old sensation Caden Clark, who slammed in his second goal of the season.
As the final minutes dragged on, it was clear that RBNY were firmly in the driver seat. Chicago couldn’t get past the RBNY back line and Red Bull keeper Coronel was mostly untested the entire match. When the final whistle blew, the New York side celebrated their first win and first clean sheet of the season. As players and coaches rushed to congratulate Struber on his first win in MLS, there was a sense that things could only go up from here.
Final Thoughts
As I left the stadium on Saturday, there was hope and pride in the air. There are so many things about this team that I am proud of; starting the season with two straight losses would kill the spirt of some teams around MLS, but not this side. The new coach and these new players have injected a sense of belief into this club. This is a rebuild (we all know that), but this win is a massive step in the right direction. The boys have tasted victory for the first time this year - hopefully this will increase their hunger push them for more. It’s hard to predict what the team will look like at the end of this campaign. In fact, not knowing is the biggest killer. I believe with this team, including both the players and the coaching staff, there is a growing chemistry that can’t be denied.
With former RBNY head coach Chris Armas bringing his new Toronto FC side to Harrison on Saturday, Red Bull may be out for revenge - I believe this is just the contest that RBNY need to see if lessons have been learned, if the game plan is working and if this team is going in the right direction. Today was a good day for both the players and the fans, but who knows what will happen with this very young and newly put together team? In a way, isn’t that the best part of being a fan?
As always, I am here for it all.
